Sword & Trowel 2016: Issue 1 


A meeting in a partially completed building at Jumlang in the Gorkha District. It is a replacement for collapsed churches at Richet and Jumlang and the Bible School at Richet. The mountainous land at Richet could not be built on due to instability and the believers from Richet now travel to Jumlang. The building can hold 500 (seated on the fl oor) and will also be used for regional conferences.


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waiting for government support to be able to rebuild their homes. The government will not be giv-


ing any help for the reconstruction of church buildings which has to be done solely by the church members or by Christian organisations. The Canaan Baptist Mission is now engaged in helping those churches planted by or associated with Canaan Baptist Church, which are not able to carry out reconstruction work by themselves due to lack of resources. Some church buildings have been reconstructed and are in use and we now wish to give attention to the needs in the districts of Makawanpur and Chitwan where the Chepang community is located in some of the remotest areas of Nepal. This community is considered to be one of the most backward in Nepal and the churches there need urgent help in rebuilding.


Estimated costs are about £50,000


beyond the remaining, uncommitted funds in hand. It is desired to fi nish with relief-related work in 2016.


The state of the churches There are currently 61 outreach


preaching places planted by Canaan Baptist Church and its daughter churches. In several places, the number of people gathering for services has


page 42 Nepal Earthquake


increased substantially following the earthquakes. There are also a further fi ve gatherings so far in new places to which relief teams brought assistance. In late 2015, Pastor Rai gave four


regional training meetings in evange- lism for over 200 leaders and believers and has been using Nepali translations of Dr Masters’ booklets, leaving multi- ple copies behind for the churches. Mrs Mangali Rai has also been teaching the women who are reported generally to be coping very well even though they have lost loved ones and many posses- sions. Wisdom is needed in discerning the motives of those attending. When people profess faith and request bap- tism they are interviewed and taken through a short catechism and have to give personal testimony to the congregation. Those professing to be new believers also have to sign a state- ment indicating that they have become Christians voluntarily and have not been coerced to do so, in view of the current Nepalese Constitution which seeks to protect existing religions and discourage proselytising.


If you would like details of how to con- tribute to the Tabernacle’s Nepal Relief Fund please email:


nepalrelief@metropolitantabernacle.org


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